End stop for slide fasteners



y 1961 G. R. STONE END STOP FOR SLIDE FASTENERS Filed April 18. 1958 I N VEN TOR. 650265 R. ST /VE United States Patent END STOP FOR SLIDE FASTENERS George R. Stone, Meadville, Pm, assignor to Talon, Inc.,

a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Apr. 18, 1958, Ser. No. 729,487

2 Claims. (Cl. 24-20511) This invention relates to slide fasteners, and more particularly to an improved endstop therefor for limiting the movement of the slider along the fastener.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a simple and inexpensive end stop for slide fasteners which can be quickly and easily attached to the fastener stringers.

It is another object of the invention to provide an improved top stop which is so constructed and arranged that it will enter the slider channel so as to provide a maximum closing movement of the. slider, and at the same time, to provide an end stop which is eflicientLand eifective in its use. I

It is a more specific object .of this invention to provide an end stop which is attached to the endmost fastener element of one of the stringers having means carried thereby which engages with the male and female portions of the element so as to be held securely in engagement therewith.

Various other objects and advantages of this invention will be more apparent in the course of the following specification, and will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, there is shown for the purpose of illustration, an embodiment which my invention may assume in practice.

In these drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a slide fastener having the improved end stop of the present invention incorporated therewith showing the slider in its partially closed position,

Fig. 2 is a plan view similar to Fig. 1 with the top wing of the slider removed showing the position the slider assumes in its fully closed position,

Fig. 3 is an end view of the endmost fastener element showing the end stop assembled thereon,

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the blank from which my improved end stop is formed,

Fig. 5 is a side view of the end stop before it is mounted on the fastener element,

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the inner side of the end stop as shown in Fig. 5,

Fig. 7 is a side elevational view of the endmost fastener element showing the first step in assembling the end stop thereon, and

Fig. 8 is an elevational view similar to Fig. 7 showing the end stop assembled thereon.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, there is shown in Fig. 1, a conventional type slide fastener which consists of a series of spaced-apart interlocking coupling or fastener elements 2 attached to opposed beaded edges 3 of a pair of stringer tapes 4. Each of the fastener elements 2 has a mounting end portion 5 which consists of a pair of spaced-apart jaw portions and a head port-ion 6 extending outwardly from the edge of the stringer tape. On the head portion of each of the elements 2, there is provided a projection 7 arranged on one side thereof and a recess 8 arranged in the opposite side thereof. The pro.

present invention.

jections 7 of the elements on one of the stringer tapes co-operate and engage with the recesses 8 in the elements on the opposite stringer to interengage the two fastener stringers in a manner well known to those skilled, in the There is arranged on the fastener elements 2,.a slider 9 for longitudinal movement therealong for engaging and disengaging the fastener elements. Such a slider consists generally of a pair of spaced-apart wing portions 10 each having marginal flange portions 12, and connected at one end thereof by a neck portion 13 so as to provide a substantially Y-shaped channel 25 therebetween. On the outer side of one of the wing portions 10, there is arranged a lug portion 14 to which there is pivotally attached a pull member '15 for manipulating the slider in a well known manner. On the endmost fastener element 2a of one of the stringers, there is arranged the improved end stop member 16 in accordance with the As more clearly shown in Figs. 4 through 8 of the drawings, such end stop consists of a substantially U-shaped member preferably made from fiat metallic stock, so as to provide a pair of spaced-apart substantially parallel leg portions 17 and 18 integrally connected together by a web portion 19. In the leg portion 17, there is arranged an aperture 20 which is slightly larger than the projection 7 of the fastener element 2a with which it co-operates in a manner hereinafter to be described. On the opposite leg portion 18,

there is arranged an inwardly extending lip-like portion 21 which is struck up from the material. thereof and which has a width slightly less thanthe recess 8 in the fastener element with which it co-operates. The width of this end stop 16 is preferably substantially equal to the width of the fastener element 2a on which it is mounted.

This end stop .16 is preferably initially formed from a flat blank, as shown in Fig. 4 with the leg portions 17 and 18 then bent so as to assume the position as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, spaced-apart from one another a much greater distance than they assume when mounted on the fastener element. In assembling the end stop onto the fastener element 2a, the web portion 19 thereof is positioned against the outer end of the head portion 6 of the fastener element, as shown in Fig. 7. The leg portions 17 and 18 are then bent toward one another around the head portion of the fastener element so that the projection 7 of the fastener element 2a is forced into and through the aperture 20 of the leg portion 17 and so that is moved to its fully closed position it will be seen that the endmost fastener elements 2 of both of the stringer tapes 4 enter and are positioned in the slider channel 25, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. In such position it will be seen that the outer side of the web portion 19 of the end stop 16 abuts the neck portion 13 of the slider or the outer edges of the head portion of two opposed fastener elements on the opposite stringer, if there is sufiicient clearance in the slider channel to permit the stop to enter thereinto, thereby preventing the slider from being moved any further along the stringers in a closing direction. That is to say, this end stop will limit the movement of the slider in a direction to close the fastener and prevent the endmost fastener elements of both stringers from passing any further into and through the slider channel.

As a result of my invention, it will be seen that there is provided an improved end stop which can be inexpensively and easily fabricated and which can be conveniently attached to a fastener element without the need of expensive tools or other equipment. It will also be seen that there is provided an end stop so constructed and arranged that it enters the slider channel so as to provide a maximum closing movement of the slider.

While I have shown and described an embodiment which my invention may assume in practice, it will be understood that this embodiment is merely for the purpose of illustration and description, and that other forms may be devised within the scope of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a slide fastener of the type having a series of spaced-apart interlocking fastener elements arranged along the opposed edges of a pair of stringer tapes and having a slider mounted thereon for engaging and disengaging the same, and wherein each of said fastener elements is provided With a mounting end portion for gripping the edge of the tape and a coupling head portion extending outwardly therefrom having a projection arranged on one side thereof and a recess in the opposite side thereof, a sheet metal end stop member mounted on the head portion of the endmost element of at least one of said stringer tapes, said stop member being substantially U-shaped so as to provide a pair of spaced apart leg portions disposed around the end of the head portion of said element with the outer side edges of said stop member being substantially in alignment with the respective sides of said element, one of said leg portions having an aperture therein into and through which the projection on said element extends, the other of said leg portions having a lip-like portion struck-up from the body thereof which extends into the recess in the opposite side of said element whereby the stop is securely attaehed to the head portion of said element.

2. In a slide fastener of the type having a series of spaced-apart interlocking fastener elements arranged along the opposed edges of a pair of stringer tapes and having a slider mounted therein for engaging and disengaging the same, and wherein each of said fastener elements has a mounting end portion for gripping the edge of the tape and a head portion extending outwardly therefrom having male and female coupling portions carried thereby, a sheet metal end stop member mounted on the head portion of the endmost fastener element of at least one of said stringer tapes, said stop member being substantially U-shape so as to provide a pair of spacedapart leg portions and a web portion, said leg portions disposed around the end of the head portion of said element with said web portion substantially abutting the outer end thereof, and means arranged with each of said leg portions for engaging the respective male and female coupling portions whereby the stop member is held securely on the head portion of said element consisting of an aperture arranged in one leg portion into which the male portion extends and a lip-like portion carried by the other leg portion which extends into the female portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,250,343 Oppenheim Dec. 18, 1917 2,460,124 Carlile Jan. 25, 1949 2,469,509 Marinsky May 10, 1949 2,601,710 Moehler July 1, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 415,397 Great Britain Aug. 16, 1934 575,628 Great Britain Feb. 26, 1946 

